03-11-2010

Bad news for van drivers: the cost of taking your vehicle to the mechanics has risen again according to the Warranty Direct Labour Rates Survey. Are the increases in line with inflation you ask, no, of course they’re not.

The survey, which examined labour charges in both franchised dealers and independent workshops combined, shows an overall increase in the national average cost of the hourly rates charged of 5.81%. This has pushed the national average up to £74.82 over the past 12 months. And the worst offenders were by far and away the franchised dealers, who were nearly 40% more expensive than their independently run counterparts.

Some regions have bucked the trend however, and experienced an overall downtown in the hourly rate charged. Marked falls have been experienced in Greater London, down 2.5%, with far more notable falls experienced in the north, with mechanics in Northumberland and Lanarkshire reducing their hourly charges by 12.7% and 12.6% respectively.

Franchised dealers now charge an average labour rate of £90.59 (up from £87.19 last year) with independents at £55.90 (£52.69 in 2009).

Unfortunately for residents of Surrey they are in a labour charge hotspot experiencing the highest rates in the country, with an average hourly cost of £87.59. Perhaps the most shocking statistic in the survey however, was reserved for a franchised dealer in Hertfordshire who had the gall to charge £190.35 for an hour’s work.

Residents of Cardiff and Suffolk have witnessed the largest increase this year; motorists in these areas are being charged an additional 19.09% and 22.17% respectively.

Top 10 most expensive regions for garage labour rates

County Average cost for an hour’s labour:

Surrey £87.59
Middlesex £87.50
Hertfordshire £87.48
Berkshire £84.03
London £83.55
Manchester £80.41
Warwickshire £79.91
Cardiff £79.79
Suffolk £79.77
Essex £79.61

Top 10 least expensive regions for garage labour rates

Average cost for an hour’s labour:

Renfrewshire £53.86
Isle of Wight £56.41
County Durham £57.97
Inverness-shire £58.25
Fife £58.39
Clwyd £60.30
Lanarkshire £60.58
Mid Glamorgan £60.74
Angus £63.52
Bedfordshire £64.37

When you’re paying such an astronomical amount to get your van fixed or serviced, the last thing you want to be doing is paying over the odds on your van insurance. We compare van insurance quotes to bring you some of the cheapest deals on the market.